diff --git a/app/[locale]/dashboard/page.tsx b/app/[locale]/dashboard/page.tsx
index 5944ad1..3de00bf 100644
--- a/app/[locale]/dashboard/page.tsx
+++ b/app/[locale]/dashboard/page.tsx
@@ -60,13 +60,15 @@ export default async function DashboardPage({
   }
 
   await expirePastScheduledSessionsForUser(user.id);
-  await ensureInitialTestSessions(user, accessState.policy);
+  await ensureInitialTestSessions(user, accessState.policy, {
+    skipExpiration: true,
+  });
 
-  const [sessionsData, performanceData] = await Promise.all([
+  const [sessionsData, performanceData, planNextAccess] = await Promise.all([
     getDashboardSessionsData(user),
     getDashboardPerformanceSummaryData(user.id),
+    getPlanNextAccess(user.id, accessState.policy),
   ]);
-  const planNextAccess = await getPlanNextAccess(user.id, accessState.policy);
 
   const canJoinSessions = hasUserTierCapability(accessState, 'canJoinSessions');
   const canCreateSession = hasUserTierCapability(
diff --git a/lib/demo/data.ts b/lib/demo/data.ts
index f7f8f38..5811106 100644
--- a/lib/demo/data.ts
+++ b/lib/demo/data.ts
@@ -1232,6 +1232,14 @@ async function getDashboardCore(userId: string) {
           ).flatMap((result) => result.data ?? [])
         : [];
     const answeredCountBySession = new Map<string, Set<string>>();
+    const questionCountBySession = new Map<string, number>();
+
+    for (const sessionId of questionSessionById.values()) {
+      questionCountBySession.set(
+        sessionId,
+        (questionCountBySession.get(sessionId) ?? 0) + 1,
+      );
+    }
 
     for (const answer of answeredQuestionIds) {
       const questionId = answer.question_id;
@@ -1248,9 +1256,7 @@ async function getDashboardCore(userId: string) {
     for (const session of sessions) {
       session.questionCount = Math.max(
         session.questionCount ?? 0,
-        [...questionSessionById.values()].filter(
-          (sessionId) => sessionId === session.id,
-        ).length,
+        questionCountBySession.get(session.id) ?? 0,
       );
       session.answeredQuestionCount =
         answeredCountBySession.get(session.id)?.size ??
diff --git a/lib/session/expired-sessions.ts b/lib/session/expired-sessions.ts
index 3e2f310..8eac8fd 100644
--- a/lib/session/expired-sessions.ts
+++ b/lib/session/expired-sessions.ts
@@ -85,15 +85,14 @@ export async function expirePastScheduledSessionsForGroups(
     Date.now() - SESSION_START_GRACE_MS,
   ).toISOString();
 
-  const { data: expiredUnplanned, error: unplannedError } = await admin
+  const { count: expiredUnplannedCount, error: unplannedError } = await admin
     .schema('public')
     .from('sessions')
-    .update({ status: 'expired' })
+    .update({ status: 'expired' }, { count: 'exact' })
     .in('group_id', uniqueGroupIds)
     .eq('status', 'scheduled')
     .is('meeting_link', null)
-    .lt('scheduled_at', scheduledDayCutoff)
-    .select('id');
+    .lt('scheduled_at', scheduledDayCutoff);
 
   if (unplannedError) {
     console.error('[sessions] failed to expire past scheduled sessions', {
@@ -101,15 +100,14 @@ export async function expirePastScheduledSessionsForGroups(
     });
   }
 
-  const { data: expiredPlanned, error: plannedError } = await admin
+  const { count: expiredPlannedCount, error: plannedError } = await admin
     .schema('public')
     .from('sessions')
-    .update({ status: 'expired' })
+    .update({ status: 'expired' }, { count: 'exact' })
     .in('group_id', uniqueGroupIds)
     .eq('status', 'scheduled')
     .not('meeting_link', 'is', null)
-    .lt('scheduled_at', plannedTimeCutoff)
-    .select('id');
+    .lt('scheduled_at', plannedTimeCutoff);
 
   if (plannedError) {
     console.error('[sessions] failed to expire missed planned sessions', {
@@ -117,7 +115,7 @@ export async function expirePastScheduledSessionsForGroups(
     });
   }
 
-  return (expiredUnplanned?.length ?? 0) + (expiredPlanned?.length ?? 0);
+  return (expiredUnplannedCount ?? 0) + (expiredPlannedCount ?? 0);
 }
 
 export async function expirePastScheduledSession(sessionId: string) {
diff --git a/lib/session/initial-test-sessions.ts b/lib/session/initial-test-sessions.ts
index 8fc8e1c..7ea4637 100644
--- a/lib/session/initial-test-sessions.ts
+++ b/lib/session/initial-test-sessions.ts
@@ -12,19 +12,28 @@ const TEST_SESSION_QUESTION_GOAL = 20;
 type AdminClient = ReturnType<typeof createSupabaseAdminClient>;
 
 type UserRow = { id: string };
-type TestSessionSlotRow = { name: string | null };
+type TestSessionSlotRow = { name: string | null; status: string | null };
+type EnsureInitialTestSessionsOptions = {
+  replaceExpired?: boolean;
+  skipExpiration?: boolean;
+};
+
 export async function ensureInitialTestSessions(
   user: UserRow,
   policy: Pick<AppPolicySettings, 'perQuestionTimerDefaultSeconds'>,
-  options: { replaceExpired?: boolean } = {},
+  options: EnsureInitialTestSessionsOptions = {},
 ) {
   const admin = createSupabaseAdminClient();
   const groupId = await getOrCreateTestGroup(admin, user);
-  await expirePastScheduledSessionsForGroups(admin, [groupId]);
-  const [existingSessions, totalCount] = await Promise.all([
-    listExistingTestWindowSessions(admin, groupId),
-    countAllTestSessions(admin, groupId),
-  ]);
+  if (!options.skipExpiration) {
+    await expirePastScheduledSessionsForGroups(admin, [groupId]);
+  }
+
+  const testSessions = await listTestSessions(admin, groupId);
+  const existingSessions = testSessions.filter(
+    (session) => session.status !== 'cancelled' && session.status !== 'expired',
+  );
+  const totalCount = testSessions.length;
   const existingCount = Math.min(existingSessions.length, TEST_SESSION_TARGET);
   const missingCount = TEST_SESSION_TARGET - existingCount;
 
@@ -67,26 +76,12 @@ export async function ensureInitialTestSessions(
   }
 }
 
-async function countAllTestSessions(admin: AdminClient, groupId: string) {
-  const { count } = await admin
-    .schema('public')
-    .from('sessions')
-    .select('id', { count: 'exact', head: true })
-    .eq('group_id', groupId);
-
-  return count ?? 0;
-}
-
-async function listExistingTestWindowSessions(
-  admin: AdminClient,
-  groupId: string,
-) {
+async function listTestSessions(admin: AdminClient, groupId: string) {
   const { data } = await admin
     .schema('public')
     .from('sessions')
-    .select('name')
-    .eq('group_id', groupId)
-    .not('status', 'in', '("cancelled","expired")');
+    .select('name, status')
+    .eq('group_id', groupId);
 
   return (data ?? []) as TestSessionSlotRow[];
 }
diff --git a/tests/trial-availability-and-session-flow.test.mjs b/tests/trial-availability-and-session-flow.test.mjs
index 28d4435..910db25 100644
--- a/tests/trial-availability-and-session-flow.test.mjs
+++ b/tests/trial-availability-and-session-flow.test.mjs
@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ const onboardingActions = readFileSync(
   'app/[locale]/onboarding/actions.ts',
   'utf8',
 );
+const dashboardPage = readFileSync('app/[locale]/dashboard/page.tsx', 'utf8');
+const dashboardData = readFileSync('lib/demo/data.ts', 'utf8');
 const expiredSessionsHelper = readFileSync(
   'lib/session/expired-sessions.ts',
   'utf8',
@@ -450,13 +452,23 @@ test('past scheduled test sessions expire and require availability refresh for r
     expiredSessionsHelper,
     /\.not\('meeting_link', 'is', null\)\s+\.lt\('scheduled_at', plannedTimeCutoff\)/,
   );
+  assert.match(
+    expiredSessionsHelper,
+    /update\(\{ status: 'expired' \}, \{ count: 'exact' \}\)/,
+  );
   assert.match(
     initialTestSessions,
     /totalCount > 0 && !options\.replaceExpired/,
   );
   assert.match(
     initialTestSessions,
-    /\.not\('status', 'in', '\("cancelled","expired"\)'\)/,
+    /session\.status !== 'cancelled' && session\.status !== 'expired'/,
+  );
+  assert.match(initialTestSessions, /skipExpiration\?: boolean/);
+  assert.match(dashboardPage, /skipExpiration: true/);
+  assert.match(
+    dashboardData,
+    /const questionCountBySession = new Map<string, number>\(\)/,
   );
   assert.match(initialTestSessions, /getOccupiedTestSessionNumbers/);
   assert.match(initialTestSessions, /missingSessionNumbers/);